For thousands of years, metal has underpinned the built environment, from the early Bronze and Iron Ages to the Industrial Revolution, forging a durable legacy. Today, metal’s role is more critical than ever, and with digital technologies transforming the construction landscape, it’s essential that manufacturers stay up to date with the latest digital tools. In this article, we answer two key questions: how can technology take metal construction even further? And how is BIM changing the game for metal manufacturers?
Metal Construction in the Age of BIM
Metal has been a consistently dominant material in construction, constantly adapting to meet structural needs. However, metal is a competitive industry; manufacturers who can prove their reliability, usability, and commitment to sustainability early in the design process often earn a decisive edge. To stand out amongst competitors, they must demonstrate a genuine commitment to sustainability and innovation and meet the requirements of their desired specifiers.
This is where BIM comes in.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) refers to the data-rich 3D models representing real-life products, which can be easily downloaded and embedded into project designs, streamlining workflows and improving visualisation. This is revolutionary for metal manufacturing, making an impact at early design stages, increasing EPD visibility, and demonstrating a measurable reach and cross-sector exposure. With the increasing complexity of modern building models, most of which integrate multiple different materials, BIM has become an essential digital tool.
Metal Construction & Specification
Metal manufacturing, and specification of these products, have long faced industry-wide challenges. For example, fragmented communications can occur due to design changes or clashes, and the ability for manufacturers to influence early design decisions has often been limited. BIM platforms, such as Bimstore, address these problems, enhancing interconnectivity throughout the design process and ensuring manufacturer input from early design stages.
By transforming how metal products are specified and delivered, BIM empowers manufacturers to technologically advance. The leading BIM libraries enable metal manufacturers to showcase diverse products, for cross-sector use, to an ever-growing community of architects, engineers, and construction professionals. It also allows them to display their Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), strengthening brand credibility and demonstrating genuine environmental commitment.
Leading metal manufacturers on Bimstore include SMD (Structural Metal Decks), offering floor and roof deck profiles, and Ayrshire Metals Ltd, supplying cold-rolled steel framing systems manufactured from high-grade zinc-coated galvanised steel. Looking at a sample set of metal manufacturers listed on Bimstore, they currently achieve a combined total of approximately 264,000 views and 45,000 file downloads, significantly increasing product visibility and specification potential.
Metal’s Role in Contemporary Architecture
As construction methods evolve, metal systems are being integrated earlier than ever to meet rising demands for precision, performance data, and buildability. As a result, specification has taken on new importance. By embracing the legacy of strength, versatility, reliability, and scalability in metal products, BIM elevates functionality in all modern projects.
From structural steel frames and facades to secondary systems, fixings, gratings, or modular components, metal construction is vast and all-encompassing. BIM libraries cater to all kinds of metal manufacturers, offering tailored support to appeal to a broad audience of specifiers with a niche set of requirements.
Global examples of metal structures that used BIM during the development process include the Randselva Bridge in Norway, which heavily relied on complex BIM models, as well as the Shanghai Tower in China, the world’s third-tallest building, which used BIM to enable flawless construction of the 120-degree spiral building. These are just two examples of world-class buildings, constructed from metal and supported by BIM.
From Models to Intelligence: Why choose BIM?
BIM has moved beyond simple 3D representation. Today’s models function as intelligent data systems, supporting construction, operation, and long-term asset management. BIM can also act as the foundation for digital twins, enabling ongoing monitoring, analysis, and performance optimisation long after project completion.
Specifications enable manufacturers to establish their brand and product catalogue to a diverse range of specifiers across the world. BIM allows them to present products more accurately, communicate technical performance data more concisely, and engage with architects and specifiers at earlier design stages, leaving a more indelible and measurable impact. The benefits are immediate and long-lasting.
Conclusion: Metal’s Digital Future
Metal’s future in construction is inseparable from digital adoption. Manufacturers who embrace BIM gain earlier influence, stronger technical authority, and greater control over how their products are specified and perceived. BIM streamlines workflows, improves accuracy, reduces waste, and enhances clash detection, delivering efficiencies across the entire project lifecycle.
We understand that change can be daunting, and switching to digital assets is no small feat. We trust that metal manufacturers understand the manufacturing process to a T, but how can they ensure their products are accessible for architects and designers, once they are out of the factory? By integrating BIM into their distribution strategy, manufacturers can connect directly with the architects, engineers and designers shaping tomorrow’s buildings, witnessing metal’s impact from conception to completion, one project at a time.
